Fine Art

2018 Work

The Great Day Off

This painting is my interpretation of what the Grim Reaper would do if he took a day off. I envisioned him riding a bicycle so that he would be able to take his time seeing the sights and enjoying the moment. He has been working for an eternity and has been everywhere except the tree of life. He doesn't want to travel alone, as he does so often, so he decides to invite a few friends. He gets his ducks in a row before departing then sets out on his adventure. The first friend he decides to bring along is the best guide he knows, The Toucan. The second friend he invites is a magical sloth because there is never a lack of entertainment when you travel with a magician.

Misunderstood 2017 series

Misunderstood is a heart-warming, visual reconnection to our favorite icons from original Hollywood horror films. Emotionally charged with the complexities of balancing our fascination with fear and our basic human instinct for empathy, Hale invites us to question our societal beliefs and the dangers of stereotyping. “Sometimes our fear is just a manifestation of what we can’t or won’t understand. At one time or another most of us have been on the receiving end of a misunderstanding—it can be a very isolating experience, often compounded when our voice gets buried in the confusion.” Said Hale.

This newest collection builds on Hale’s debut series “Disestablished” by pushing the dialog from fast-track, corporate ladder-climbing, political rhetoric to the plight of the individual, and the fierceness with which the public finger is pointed in judgement. With his signature color-rich boldness, Hale emphasizes the power of fear while illuminating the familiar humanity we recognize when we extend our charity toward loneliness.

While Hale continues to enjoy his status as a “disestablished” artist, his work is gaining recognition in his native Nashville community. As he continues to release his visual translation of current events, Hale best sums up his artistic perspective with a line from the famed tune by Nina Simone: “I’m just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood.”

Misunderstood

Acrylic on Canvas—2016

152.4 cm × 121.92 cm (60 in × 48 in)

Gothic Gothic

Acrylic on Canvas—2017

121.92 cm × 91.44 cm (48 in × 36 in)

Frank

Acrylic on Canvas—2017

121.92 cm × 91.44 cm (48 in × 36 in)

The Bride

Acrylic on Canvas—2017

121.92 cm × 91.44 cm (48 in × 36 in)

The Creature

Acrylic on Canvas—2017

121.92 cm × 91.44 cm (48 in × 36 in)

Wolfman

Acrylic on Canvas—2017

121.92 cm × 91.44 cm (48 in × 36 in)

Dracula

Acrylic on Canvas—2017

121.92 cm × 91.44 cm (48 in × 36 in)

The Mummy

Acrylic on Canvas—2017

121.92 cm × 91.44 cm (48 in × 36 in)

Disestablished 2016 Series

“Disestablished” Series by Adam Hale

As the 2016 Presidential Campaign captivates our nation, Americans are spending at least a few sound-byte seconds contemplating their personal and global views.

Politicians and a lucrative media industry claim that our nation is polarized, that Americans are divided. Most of the people I talk with, liberals and conservatives alike, are really on the same page. We want to work hard, enjoy our families, and we aren’t very concerned with what our neighbors do in the privacy of their homes. But that would make us all similar, and if we have unity, we are likely to start focusing our unified attention on the challenges facing our “for-the-people” government.

I started this series as a way to look at our own culpability. To acknowledge our unconscious spending and see how our lust for the almighty dollar is crippling our lives and threatening our democracy.

The Money Tree features a simple business man watering a money tree that is attached to a rope around his neck. As the tree grows, it will ultimately hang the man. Perhaps the thought is gruesome, but the rabbit image of the man’s face illuminates his innocence, and the bright, fanciful colors remind us not to take things too seriously. Additional paintings in the series underscore that message of human folly.

The Money Tree was started at an outdoor demonstration I was giving at Art Basel in Miami. It started to rain and the paint was getting wet so the background got a lot of movement from those raindrops. It really helped the painting along, so I left the runs. Sometimes, you just have to accept that everything is going down the way it’s supposed to. I guess that’s what is happening in our society today. Perhaps we are learning that our mistakes can be useful in recognizing the changes we need to make as we move forward on our collective path.

The series title, Disestablished, also describes my own artist’s journey. While I have been painting for many years, 2016 represents my initial launch into the business of art. I may become an established artist one day, but for now, I am content to be... disestablished.